Preparing your car for Summer...

With the help of Approved Garages, we've put together just a few simple tips to help you ensure your car is ready for the Summer. 

• Air conditioning

Switch on your air conditioning system and put your hand in front of it – does it let our sufficient cold air? If you're travelling in warm weather (HOPEFULLY), keeping the vehicle cool can ensure the trip is comfortable for you and your family.

Oldfields Garage Services can re-gas your air conditioning system for £42 inc VAT. We can also combine this with an antibacterial treatment for your system for just £55 inc VAT. Keeping your vehicle air conditioning system topped up helps to clear your screen, can improve your fuel economy and helps to ensure you are comfortable. 

• Tyres

Tyres are the only thing between your car and the road! Making sure you have plenty of tread enables you to stay safe. Tyre pressure also plays a vital part in this (along with ensuring they don't wear prematurely and fuel economy is maximised). You should also check for rips, tears, bulges or bald spots.  

• Brake system

Your brakes need regular checks too – and it’s a good time to start thinking about them in summer. Inspect the brakes at regular intervals as advised in your user manual. Winter traffic tends to be slower than summer traffic and the freezing conditions have its toll on the brakes. We can have a visual inspection on your brakes to ensure these are in tip top condition. 

• Oil

This is simple enough to check – pull out the car’s dipstick and check the level and also the colour of the oil. Ensure it meets the mark (Below maximum, above minimum) and the colour should be a sort of amber (this tends to be black on a diesel). 

• Cool the Coolant

First of all, check the level of the coolant – is this between the minimum and maximum markers? Remember that the biggest reason for summer car breakdowns is due to overheating, so keeping the cooling system in order is vital. You should also check the concentration of the liquid. If you are not confident doing this, get Oldfields Garage Services to check the concentration for you. 

• Clearing the windscreen

You need a crystal clear view, especially with the sun glaring down and obscuring your vision. Ensure that your windscreen is in good condition, your washer fluid is topped up and replace any worn blades. Wiper blades tend to go hard over time and don't clear correctly. A new pair of blades can improve visibility (we also stock the most popular fitment Bosch wiper blades). Using screenwash fluid helps to clear your screen effectively. 

• Going on a journey?

If you're going on a long journey over the summer, you might want to book your car in for a pre-journey check. Call one of our team on 01568 612436 or Email service@oldfieldsgarage.co.uk. 

How capable is your garage?

When you take your car or van to a garage you should feel assured that they have the capability to look after it!

Garages need to invest in keeping up to date with vehicle changes. This starts from the bottom up, apprentices are given the time to learn and assist more senior technicians and allowed to flourish over time. Senior technicians are provided with up to date information and have the resources to carry out work of a more technical nature.

At Oldfields Garage Services Ltd in Leominster, we do this in three ways.

Firstly - choosing the right staff. All of our staff are trained and have the necessary skills to carry out the level of work that is required. We have a mix of time served mechanics and younger team members, which gives us a blend of experience and the ability to keep up to date with modern changes with your vehicle. For example, our apprentice not only learns about general mechanical maintenance (which hasn't changed massively since cars hit the roads), but also the latest technology and systems on newer vehicles.

Secondly - providing training. We have access to excellent training, but being independent this doesn't tie us to any one provider. We make a conscious effort to invest in training for our team to update and refresh their skills and keep us up to date with technological changes. One example is

Thirdly - specialist tools, information and diagnostics. Oldfields Garage subscribes to several sources of technical information which enables us to carry out more technical diagnostics and procedural tasks. Throughout the year we invest in some of the latest specialist tooling which enables us to carry out work efficiently and in some cases simply just carry out basic jobs!

Some of our specialist diagnostic tools include Bosch KTS, Delphi Diagnostics, Launch (general diagnostics for most manufacturers), Delphi Diagnostics, VAG Com (Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat), Battery/Charging Testers, Oscilloscope (for advanced testing and vehicle data measurement).

About us: Oldfields Garage in Leominster is an award winning Garage who are approved by The AA and RAC. They subscribe to the Motor Industry Code of Practice and are part of the Approved Garages Network. 

How to Find a New Garage when Moving to a New Area?

If you have moved to a new area and drive a vehicle, finding a good local garage you can trust is something that will crop up and you'll need to think about.

There are a number of ways you can look and I'm going to highlight a few key questions that will help you identify the type of garage to fit your needs.

Have they got a Website?
Searching Online is one of the most popular ways of finding a garage, but a good garage would normally have website with there address, contact details along with information of any bodies they are a member of or recommended by. They would normally have a link to reviews on their site.

Do they subscribe to a Office of Fair Trading Code of Practice?
Most good quality garages will subscribe to a Code of Practice, such as the Motor Industry Code of Practice (Motor Codes). Garages who subscribe must adhere to a minimum standards and would usually have several reviews for you to look at. You can visit Motor Codes here and use the "find a garage feature." If a garage has more than 20 feedback reviews it would be reasonable to consider these

Are they Approved by Reputed Motoring Organisations such as the AA or RAC?
MotorCodes approved garages are currently inspected every 2 years by the AA (although this is not going to happen in the future), but the AA also run a list of garages in an area that they would recommend for customers who break down in an area. If you are an AA member you can contact them and they should be able to provide some recommendations for an area.

The RAC also have approved garages who are inspected annually and you can find these by visiting  
there garage finder. RAC approved garages are also allowed to display an RAC sign on their building.

How Long Have they Trading?
Whilst it isn't necessarily important how long a garage has been operating, Garages that have longevity would normally indicate they provide a service level that meets the needs of the local community.

Is the Garage Generally Busy?
If a garage is generally busy then this is normally an indication of their reputation in the local area. Good Garages are usually busy, but will also try to accommodate you if possible - setting a realistic timescale.

Do they Offer Courtesy Cars or Collection and Delivery?
This may or may not be important to you, but it is worth considering to allow some flexibility with getting your car looked after. It is also helpful during busy times with the garage.

Do they have enough Staff?
This might sound a silly consideration, but if a garage only has one member of staff they are unlikely to be able to respond quickly to an emergency.

Are their Staff Qualified to the Required Level?
Keeping up to date with modern vehicles is very important as vehicles and their management systems are becoming more complex. Garages who regularly provide staff training would usually display these in there reception area.

Have you Asked your Neighbours?
If you have a garage in mind following your research don't forget to ask your Neighbours what their reputation is like.

About us: Oldfields Garage in Leominster is an award winning Garage who are approved by The AA and RAC. They subscribe to the Motor Industry Code of Practice and are part of the Approved Garages Network. 

Oldfields becomes an RAC Approved Garage

We are delighted to announce that we have been selected to become an RAC approved garage!

The RAC scheme is slightly different to others, because nominations have to come from their patrols on the ground. Being recommended is just the start of the process, we had to pass their stringent selection criteria before being fully approved - we are now able to carry out work for RAC customers - where their patrol is unable to fix the vehicle at roadside and as part of their service and repair scheme.  

Paul Benson said "it is great to be associated with such recognised and trusted brands such as the RAC. Passing the selection process can only support our own reputation within the local community."

Return to www.oldfieldsgarage.co.uk